Cousins jailed for raping two children when aged under 16
TWO cousins have been jailed after they raped and indecently assaulted two children when the defendants themselves were under the age of 16.
David Jones, 32, and Daniel Woodbridge, 31, from Maesteg, Bridgend County Borough, were convicted by a jury of numerous counts of rape and indecent assault of two girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
The offences occurred when Jones was aged 15 and under, and Woodbridge was aged 13 and under.
The court heard that the defendants were “close” to each other and carried out the sexual offences against the two complainants both in the company of each other and alone.
In total Woodbridge was found guilty of seven counts of rape and one count of indecent assault, while Jones was found guilty of five counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, and two counts of indecent assault.
A victim impact statement was read out on behalf of one of the victims by Judge Thomas Merfyn Hughes QC, who appeared via video link from Caernarfon Crown Court.
He said: “In her teenage years she struggled to live with her memories and she selfharmed. She has lost trust in forming relationships and finds it hard to engage in physical activity.
“She has become protective of her own children but she hopes to rebuild her life.”
A statement read out on behalf of the other victim said she had difficulty during her teenage years and struggled with her mental health. She said she could not commit to a relationship, was left feeling “insecure”, and she could not achieve closure until the defendants admitted their offending.
Susan Ferrier, representing Woodbridge, said her client continued to maintain a “staunch denial” of his offending but accepted the jury had found him guilty of the charges against him. She said the court should take account of his age at the time of the offences as he was still attending primary school when the abuse began.
Andrew Davies, representing Jones, also asked the court to take into account his client’s age at the time of the offending. He said Jones had learning difficulties and described him as “not a man of high intellectual function”.
Sentencing, Judge Hughes said: “You totally dominated each of the victims.”
He added: “Both of you continued to sexually abuse the victims and did for many years get away with it. This is a case of sustained and constant sexual abuse of two young girls when they were powerless to prevent it.”
Both Jones, of Duffryn Street, and Woodbridge, of Brynllywarch, were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.